Posts Tagged ‘Mark Awards’

How We Made the Mark Awards

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

The Mark Awards ceremony presented a chance for us to honor those professionals who exhibit pride in everything they do, from selling Exmark mowers to running Exmark red when mowing lawns. Here at Exmark, we have pride too. The Mark Awards gave a chance for some of our employees to show it when they created the actual trophies at our Beatrice plant.

The trophies were made in-house using some of the most advanced technology in our manufacturing plant. Brian York, an Engineering Process Improvement Specialist who’s been with Exmark for over nine years, explained that the trophies were designed using CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software. After design, a number of different machines were used to produce the various parts of the award:

  • The base was created using our 3D prototype printer through a process called “rapid prototyping.” It’s the same process used to create prototype parts in which we test form, fit and function on the mowers.
  • The red circle and “X” were manufactured using our in-house laser cutter.
  • The nameplate printer etched the names of the winners.
  • The white decal on the “X” was cut using our prototype vinyl cutter.

How do you think the Mark Awards trophies turned out? Want to know more on how the awards were made? Let us know with question or comment below.

Mark Awards Winner Visit

Friday, January 20th, 2012

DSC_0655We recently welcomed the winners of the inaugural Mark Awards to our headquarters in Beatrice for a celebration of their achievement.

“The Exmark community told us who’s the best and who deserves industry recognition,” said Rick Olson, General Manager at Exmark Manufacturing. “At Exmark, we’re about more than just mowers and this was our opportunity to give back and provide additional support to the people that support our brand.”

The winners included:

We flew in our winners and their guests for a once-in-a-lifetime Exmark experience, giving them behind-the-scenes access to our production facilities to see how our durable, efficient commercial-grade mowers are manufactured from raw steel to the finished product.

“I learned a lot about how they made the machines,” said Carlos Davila, runner-up for Crew Member of the Year. “I’d recommend them to any company and any dealer. They’re really good machines.”
Our winners also got to sit down with our executive leadership team and learn about the people behind the mowers. The winners and the Exmark team swapped industry stories, discussed challenges faced in the New Year and each side’s plans for the future.

The winners’ Exmark experience culminated with an awards ceremony with each winner receiving a diecast replica of the Lazer Z and their Mark Award, which was crafted in our Beatrice plant by Exmark employees.

This year’s prizes also included:

  • Best Lawn Care or Landscaping Company – New Exmark Lazer Z mower and $1,000
  • Dealer of the Year – $5,000
  • Crew Member of the Year – A trip for two to Hawaii and $1,000

We were proud to advance the business of these deserving winners. “I started off with two walk-behind mowers, so winning the Lazer Z put me a step above most of the competition in my area. Now I can pick up larger accounts and move forward with my business,” said Zak Matouka.

We enjoyed hosting our winners and thank everyone who participated in the Mark Awards. Leave your well wishes for the winners in a comment below.

Mark Awards Winners Announced

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

20110719_Exmark_AwardWith dozens of landscape enthusiasts nominated and over 100,000 votes cast, the time has come to announce the winners of the inaugural Mark Awards. These awards recognize our industry’s best in three categories – Dealer of the Year, Best Lawn Care / Landscaping Company and Crew Member of the Year. All of the winners will receive a prize and a trip and personal tour of our plant in Beatrice. Additionally, the grand prize winners will receive a custom trophy created by our Beatrice plant employees.

CREW MEMBER OF THE YEAR
Eden Guerra of The Woodlands, Texas, was named Crew Member of the Year. Eden was awarded a trip for two to Hawaii plus $1,000. Described as a man with the highest levels of integrity, Eden inspires his team day in and day out to be craftsmen and to take pride in their work.

Carlos Davila of East Orange, NJ won second prize and $2,000. Third prize and $1,000 was awarded to Mark Stegmeier of Stow, OH.

LAWN CARE/LANDSCAPING COMPANY OF THE YEAR

The Yard Men in Warren, WI, received the Best Lawn Care/Landscaping Company of the Year Mark Award with nearly 30,000 votes from his peers. Zak Matouke and his crew have gone from five customers to more than 150 in just three years. The Yard Men’s customers rave about the dependable and high-quality work Zak and his teams deliver. The Yard Men will receive a new Exmark Lazer Z® plus $1,000.

Second prize and $2,000 were awarded to Magnolia Landscape LLC, of Virginia Beach, VA. Third prize and $1,000 went to Xtreme Lawn Pros in Fort Myers, FL.

DEALER OF THE YEAR

D&J Equipment of Longwood, FL earned Dealer of the Year and received $5,000. Customers know and respect D&J’s commitment to service—both at the time of purchase and if in need of repair. Customers are pleasantly surprised to receive their product and/or parts needed within a day of ordering, a turnaround time that is uncommon.

Erb Equipment Co. Inc., of Fenton, MO won second prize and $2,000. Third prize and $1,000 was awarded to Sarlo Mowers LLC, of Bonita Springs, FL.

Congratulations to all the winners, we look forward to seeing you in Beatrice. Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations, voted and who helped make the inaugural year of the Mark Awards a success.

What did you think of the Mark Awards? Let us know and congratulate our Mark Award winners with a comment below!

What’s new at Exmarkpride.com?

Monday, April 11th, 2011

We’re constantly thinking of new ways to make Exmarkpride.com better. More engaging. More useful. More fun. You may have noticed a couple of things up we have up and and running that fit the bill.

Contest Hall of Fame:

Missed last month’s contest winner? Or the winner from three months ago? Head to the Hall of Fame and check out winners of contests past. If you want to join them in eternal glory and feel like scoring some cool gear or a gift card, then enter one of the monthly contests.

Digital freebies:

Don’t those two words sound good together? Check out all of the free screen savers that’ll X up your computer. If anybody asks tell them, “Sorry, for Exmark crew members only.”

The Mark Awards:

We announced the Mark Awards a few short weeks ago, and nominations are in full swing! Head over to Exmarkpride.com and recognize the dealers, lawn care companies and landscaping professionals who are leaving their mark on your business and your landscape.

In a few months, expect to see even more features on the site, including public profiles to help you get your name out there. So what are you waiting for? Check out all the new features on www.exmarkpride.com today.

Are there any features you want to see on the site? Leave a comment below.

The Mark Awards – Our chance to honor the best of the best

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011
The Mark Award

The Mark Award

Introducing the Mark Awards, the industry’s first awards recognizing dealers, lawn care companies and landscaping professionals who leave their mark on our business and our landscape.

We’re excited to announce that nominations are now open!  We’re looking for people and companies who share our passion for the industry and dedication to providing the very best to their customers. And, of course, carrying, owning or using Exmark products is part of what makes them stand out. Anyone can submit a nomination. You can even submit yourself – if you fit the bill.

And of course, we’re offering up some great prizes for the winners:

Dealer of the Year

  • Grand prize winner will receive $5,000 cash
  • First runner-up will receive $2,000 cash
  • Second runner-up will receive $1,000 cash

Best Landscaping/Lawn Care Company

  • Grand prize winner will receive an Exmark Lazer Z and $1,000 cash (for gas, car washes or refreshments after a hard day’s work!)
  • First runner-up will receive $2,000 cash
  • Second runner-up will receive $1,000 cash

Crew Member of the Year

  • Grand prize winner will receive a trip for two to Hawaii (during your off-season, of course!) – includes airfare, hotel and $1,000 cash
  • First runner-up will receive $2,000 cash
  • Second runner-up to receive $1,000 cash

In addition to those prizes, the grand prize winner in each category (and one of their lucky guests) will receive an Exmark Manufacturing plant tour at the Beatrice, Nebraska plant.

So what are you waiting for? Head over to exmarkpride.com now and check out the Mark Awards for you chance to win!

Want even more details? Click here.

Contest Rules
No Purchase Necessary To Nominate Or Win. Begins 9AM CST on 3/28/11 and ends 5PM CST on 5/31/11. Nominators must be legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., 13 or older. Nominees must fall into 1 of the following 3 categories to be eligible; 1) Dealer of the Year category: A dealer/dealership in the U.S. that carries Exmark products as of the start date of the Contest, 2) Best in Class Lawn Care & Landscape Company category: A company in the U.S. that focuses on lawn care or landscaping and uses Exmark products as of the start date of the Contest, or 3) Crew Member of the Year category: An employee (18 years of age or older) at a company in the U.S. that owns, uses, or carries Exmark products as of the start date of the Contest. Void where prohibited. By participating, participants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the judges and/or Sponsor, which are binding and final on matters relating to this Contest. Subject to Official Rules, available here. Sponsor: Exmark Manufacturing Company, Inc.